The impact of fathers’ military deployment on child adjustment. The support needs of primary school children and their families separated during active military service: A pilot study

Pexton, S., Farrants, J., & Yule, W. (2018). The impact of fathers’ military deployment on child adjustment. The support needs of primary school children and their families separated during active military service: A pilot study. Clinical Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 23(1), 110-124. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104517724494

The purpose of this study was to compare the psychological well-being (i.e., anxiety, depression, stress, and self-esteem) of two groups of British military children. The combat group (n = 26) consisted of military children whose fathers were deployed to Afghanistan, and the non-combat group (n = 26) consisted of military children whose fathers were deployed for training. Data were collected at three time points: pre-deployment, mid-deployment, and post-deployment. In addition to self-report from children, teachers and non-deployed parents completed child behavior assessments, with parents providing additional data regarding parental well-being and stress. Results indicated that children experiencing both combat and non-combat deployments often showed relatively low levels of depression and behavior problems but experienced clinically significant levels of anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and avoidance despite their higher than average self-esteem.

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